DEEL Announces $340k RFI for Culturally Responsive Summer Programs

The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning announced this week that it will invest up to $340,000 in community-based summer programs. The goal of these programs should be to utilize culturally responsive programming to prevent summer learning loss and improve academic outcomes for African-American/Black students and other students of color.

Over the summer, students lose academic skills and knowledge if not engaged in high-quality and enriching experiences–a phenomenon known as summer learning loss or summer slide. The summer slide disproportionately impacts low-income students and students of color. DEEL, in partnership with Mayor’s Education Summit Advisory Group, has identified the summer slide as a major driver of the achievement and opportunity gaps. As result, students may not return to school prepared to succeed and are at greater risk of falling behind or even dropping out.

Only community-based organizations are eligible to apply for this funding. Schools may, however, be co-sponsors but the program leads must be community based organizations. Preference will be given to community based organizations centered in communities of color with deep cultural and linguistic knowledge. Culturally relevant programming is an approach that aims to empower by using cultural touchstones to impact learning and growth – or in other words, creating a bridge between students’ home and school lives.

This investment is the result of recommendations from the year-long Mayor’s Education Summit, which included recommendations on ways that the City of Seattle and partners can ensure that all of Seattle’s children are given the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.